Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. R. OHAMBLIN.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 421,243. Patented'Feb. 11,1890.

I E l: EIT". /wd lw q/ga/ W; E 5 5 E S I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES R. CHAMBLIN, OF PEMBERVILLE, OHIO.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 421,243, dated February 11, 1890.

Application filed September 23, 1889. Serial No. 324,805. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. CHAMBLIN, of Pemberville, in the county of WVood and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar=Oouplings; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplings; and it consists in the combination of the draw-head having a suitable slot or opening extending vertically through it, a spring secured to the draw head at its rear end and having a vertical movement atits front end, a supporting-block which is loosely connected at its upper front corner to the spring, so as to have a free swinging motion, and an operating mechanism of suitable description for raising the block so as to set the car coupling, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple, and efficient automatic can coupling, and which is so constructed that the cars will automatically couple when they run together, and thus do away with the necessity of brakemen having to enter betweenthe cars for the purpose of coupling them.

Figure 1 is a front view of a coupling which embodies my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same a portion of the draw-head being removed.

A representsthe body of a car, and B a draw-head, which is secured thereto in any suitable manner. Formed through this draw= head is a vertical slot 0, through which the supporting-block D operates. Secured at its rear end to the top of the draw head or any other suitable portion of the car is a spring F, which has its front end to project beyond the end of 4 the car any suitable distance and directly over the top of the draw-head. To the front end of this spring is secured the coupling-pin G, which extends down through the draw-head in the usual manner, and to the top of the front end of this spring is secured a ring H, to which the elevating rod,

chain, or wire I is fastened. This rod, chain, or wire extends to the top of the car, so as to be operated from. that point, and is also connected to the lever J, which is pivoted upon the end of the car, as shown, so that the spring and coupling-pin can be operated from one side of the car, and thus do away with the necessity of the brakemen having to enter between the cars for the purpose of coupling them. Formed upon or secured to this spring at any suit-able distance in the rear of its front end are the ears 0, between which the supportingblock D is pivoted, so as to have a free swinging motion. In the front lower corner of this block is formed a recess .Q, so that when the spring and the block are raised the weight of the rear end R of the block will cause it to swing forward and the notch in the block to catch over the lower edge of the draw-head, and thus support the spring in a raised position, The rear end or corner of the block being made to extend backward any suitable distance, the front portion of the block is caused to swing forward from its own gravity as soon as the front end of the spring is raised, and'then the notched portion of the block moves forward, so as to automatically engage with the draw-head and hold the front end of the spring in a raised position. After the coupling has been set, as soon as the end of the link strikes the front edge of the supporting-block it is forced backward until its notched portion becomes disengaged from the draw-head, and then the spring forces both the block and the coupling-pin downward into their normal positions. By forming a notch in the front edge of the supportingblock and weighting it at its rear corner the block is made entirely automatic in its operation, and will support the pin, in a raised position as soon as the block is raised sufficiently high for the notch in its front edge to catch over the bottom of the draw-head.

Having thus described my invention, I c1aim- The combination of the draw-head having a vertical. opening formed therein, a spring secured at its rear end to the top of the draw-head and provided with ears on its under side, the swinging Weighted notched sup- In testimony whereof I-aifix my signature in porting-block, which is pivoted between the presence of two Witnesses. ears, the coupling-pin secured to the front end of the spring, and an operating rochchain, JAMES R. CI'IAMBLIN. or wire for raising the spring, the coupling- WVitnesses: pin, and the notched block, substantially as H. WVvSCHRODER,

shown and described. JOHN MUIR, Jr. 

